First of May, a request, rather than a celebration

This morning, Tuesday 1 May, the sounds and the colours of the trade union flags livened up a wet, deserted centre of Varese. About a thousand people took part in the traditional procession organised, on International Workers’ Day, by the provincial offices of the trade unions CGIL, CISL and UIL. However, there was little to celebrate, because of the important unresolved issues threatening workers and pensioners, in this period of crisis affecting the Italian and European economies. “There are the numbers we expected. Today, the meaning of this celebration has changed: we have to focus on the work that’s been lost. You can feel tension in the air: there’s disappointment and a bit of pessimism. The problem is that there are no answers to our questions. People talk, but politics hasn’t provided any solutions. There’s a disconnect between the real problems and what the politicians are dealing with. We’re calling for more ethics, more rigour,” said the CGIL secretary, Franco Stasi.

After a musical interlude by the band “Suonatore Jones”, Osvaldo Domaneschi from the CISL regional office came onto the stage. “It’s time to enter the second phase, that of growth. We are calling for solutions that indicate the way out of the tunnel. As we know, the crisis is real and couldn’t have been avoided. But it’s time to put a stop to the politics of rigour, which is hurting the people. It’s high time we set out a policy that supports the production system, working with the European Union coordinating the recovery of the whole euro system. Lombardy must play its part: it has to, because it is the engine of the country. We are calling for more guarantees so that we can have more confidence in the system. We don’t need lame ducks, we want a credible and serious State that implements policies that encourage inclusion and participation. The workers mustn’t feel alone and abandoned. Today, more than ever, we have to work together and demand concrete answers. This isn’t time to feel satisfied, but to create and to relaunch.”

These words aroused some doubts among the people present, who had come to have definite answers, sure prospects of change. “Today, workers are rather discouraged. So far, we’ve seen a policy of taxes without cuts. Even the solution that the government adopted yesterday, on the “spending review”, is rather puzzling; technicians relying on technicians to make savings. Let’s hope that the outcome isn’t just an apparent policy. It’s too easy to cut services, but this certainly isn’t what the country needs,” admitted Antonio Albrizi, the UIL Secretary.

The provincial CISL Secretary, Carmela Tascone, talked about a new and fairer system of taxation. “We have to stop thinking that taxes provide resources. There’s also demand, purchases that rebalance the system. If we reduce purchasing power, the market won’t recover. Our region works a lot with foreign countries, which is a clear sign that demand in other countries has started to grow.” There are many concerns, and little desire to celebrate. This is a day of dialogue, and important answers are still open.